Being 37

I've been 37 a while now, and it occurs to me I should record how it feels. Memorably, 37 is "not old" according to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, nor do I feel old, or even middle-aged, in any way. Well, my back is becoming more and more recalcitrant, so I’ve accepted my Parkour career will never get off to the glorious start I had dreamt of in wilder moments. No, in most respects I feel entirely as I have done for the last, well, 15 years certainly. I guess I know a bit more about how the world works, and have even less fear of the unknown than I had then, but I was pretty capable back in my younger days anyway. I’ve certainly lost a bit of hair, but thank the Lord, it’s only receding for the time being and not thinning at the back. Poor Prince William. 

Thanks to being a geek at school who despised sport participation of any kind, I’m still as fit as I’ve ever been. Well, I’ve slipped from the peak I attained in 2009 due to being in a car crash, but I can still crack out a marathon in under 3h45 without too much bother.

Having found the love of a good woman makes everything much more positive and enjoyable than at any point previously, and while my career trajectory has stuttered a bit recently, I do something I enjoy and for which I am well recompensed.

I suppose now, when I think about it, there is a degree of trepidation on being on the cusp of the next big chapter – I expect by the end of next year all my friends will be married and actively spawning children if they haven’t already done so. Hopefully at some point we’ll be lucky enough to do the same and so life cuts over to one in which not just our, but more or less everyone we know’s lives are dictated by their offspring which is of course ultimately the point of existence, but essentially marks the start point of your futility (the end point being when your children are old enough to fend for themselves – I’m aware of cases where this can be 40+, mind you).

So, as at any point in life, there are concerns for the future and thoughts about what comes next. I am still not at the point where everything feels settled (if that is ever the case) but at least I know the person I will share the journey with. And that’s enough. Working in a bar in Lille, or for my brother in Doncaster, would still see me being quite happy as long as the family was ok.